Dist. 203 approves new support model

April 22, 2014|By Melissa Jenco, Tribune reporter

Changes are coming to the way Naperville Unit District 203 supports struggling and advanced students in kindergarten through second grade.

The school board on Monday unanimously approved putting instructional assistants in the classrooms to work with those students next fall instead of pulling students out for programs like enrichment and the reading support program Project Leap.

The move came during a packed school board meeting where some parents and retired educators expressed concerns.

"Apparently communication could have been better, but that doesn't change the fact … this is what's absolutely best for our students and to do anything less than this would be doing a disservice to them," school board member Mike Jaensch said.

Administrators have said the current model is outdated and the new model of using instructional assistants to work with children in small groups in their classrooms will provide more flexibility, greater connection to the curriculum, a broader range of subject areas and increased time with educators.

"Our students benefit from teachers' and assistants' ability to collaborate and respond to their needs more immediately," Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Hester said. "The teacher can identify the shifts in the curriculum and instruction that are needed and quickly involve the assistant in the plans for intervention and enrichment."

Seventy-one Project Leap and enrichment assistants recently received layoff notices due to the proposed changes, but administrators have said many will be rehired for the new instructional assistant jobs.

Julie Resh-Jelliff, UniServ directors for Region 39 of the Illinois Education Association, which represents the assistants, said Monday the educators were initially told their programs would be continuing next year.

"Imagine then the feelings of betrayal and distrust that arose when they were informed on the Thursday before spring break everything was changed," she said. "Their program was gone and their jobs were gone."

Some parents and retired educators also spoke out about the changes, questioning whether students would really get the attention they need under the new model.

"This district contends that enrichment is a natural extension of the curriculum and that teachers already differentiate regularly," said parent Monique Clements. "Unfortunately this has not been our experience. Pull-out enrichment, while not perfect, was necessary to meet our daughters' needs."

Board member Susan Crotty said she observed a classroom where a similar model already was being used and was impressed by what she saw.

"There was so much enrichment going on and so much help with the students who didn't understand things," she said.

But she also expressed concerns about implementation of the support measures.

Hester said it is an evolving model and students may still be moved to other locations for support if needed. Kitty Ryan, assistant superintendent for elementary education, also said the building principals requested the changes to give them more flexibility.

"We've done many innovative things, we've done many progressive things in our district," Ryan said. "I can't remember a time when the principals to a person said yes this is the way we need to go."